Keepers Mascot: Hobie and Nessie

Steve’s neighbor heard the kittens in May 2014 alone in a field near a relative’s house in Pennsylvania, apparently the sole survivors of their litter. They were brought back to Arlington, Virginia and through the local network came to live with Steve and his family. The kittens were estimated to be six weeks old. At their first visit to the vet they weighed 0.3 and 0.7 pounds and could both fit in one hand but, were pronounced extremely healthy.

Mascot #98, Hobie, the big brother of the two was named after the sailboat and surfboard maker, the Hobie Cat and a certain well-known volunteer and Chesapeake Chapter secretary, Hobie Statzer. Hobie, the cat, is quite a bruiser but, very gentle, good-natured, and gets along well with children. He has mastered the art of photo-bombing and seems to know as well as any New York model that the camera was made for him. Other than food, his favorite thing in the world is polar fleece, even in summertime.

Nessie

Mascot #99, Nessie, was named after our favorite monster, has come a long way from when she first arrived. This calico cutie earned her nickname “Messy Nessie” because of her bad litter box habits. Have no fear though, big brother, Hobie, showed her the ropes. Nessie has grown into quite the prima donna, having determined that the universe revolves around her. Whenever it doesn’t she takes out her frustrations on toilet paper, and true to her name, can still create quite a mess.

Although they have never visited a lighthouse, they both like water (as their names reflect), are unbothered by rain, and will happily stick their heads under a running faucet. So, they’d probably make great lightkeepers and mousers.